Experts point out what needs to be considered for safe use of cleaning and cosmetic products, warning about reading label information, the Product Tracking System (ÜTS) and "under-the-counter production" products.
Emphasizing that labels should be carefully examined when purchasing products from unknown brands, Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay said, “As end consumers, we must pay attention to the product label information! Manufacturer information, barcodes, content information, and consumer reviews related to the products are very important on the labels, and these products must be registered in the ÜTS - Product Tracking System.”
Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay, Head of Food Technology Program at Üsküdar University Vocational School of Health Services, shared important information about the safe use of products such as cleaning agents and shampoos.
An idea about the quality of products can be obtained by checking their content information
Stating that products such as cleaning agents (detergents) and cosmetics (shampoos) consist of many chemical components, Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay said, “Their content and concentrations also differ according to the formulations of the manufacturing companies. It is very difficult to directly identify and state that these products are fake. An idea about the quality of products can only be obtained by checking their content information.”
Cleaning products are regulated by the Ministry of Environment, cosmetics by the Ministry of Health
Noting that the environmental effects and safety of cleaning products, in particular, are regulated by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change with the ‘Cleaning Products Regulation’, Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay continued as follows:
“The licensing, regulation, and control of cosmetic products such as shampoo are regulated by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency (TİTCK, Ministry of Health) with the ‘Cosmetic Products Regulation’. In these regulations, ‘prohibited substances, restricted-use substances, and permitted raw materials’ are announced with extensive lists on the websites of the relevant ministries.”
These ‘under-the-counter production’ products should not be trusted!
Answering the question “What should we pay attention to when purchasing these products?”, Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay said:
“As end consumers, we must pay attention to the product label information! Manufacturer information, barcodes, content information, and consumer reviews related to the products are very important on the labels, and these products must be registered in the ÜTS - Product Tracking System. Before cosmetic products are released to the market, all information about them must be registered in ÜTS. Products included in the ÜTS system undergo certain processes, passing specific chemical, physical, and microbiological tests to determine their reliability, and are then approved for production. For these products, one can download the ÜTS application to their phones or log in from the ministry’s web pages to examine the production permits for each product. Products not included in this (without ÜTS registration) may be referred to as ‘under-the-counter production’ products and should not be trusted. It is also not very possible to have information about their content. The use of under-the-counter (unregistered) production products carries significant environmental and health risks; in particular, allergic conditions may occur and/or individuals may experience skin problems.”
What to pay attention to in products from unknown companies
Dr. Lecturer Salih Tuncay also listed what needs to be paid attention to when choosing unknown companies:
“Before cosmetic and cleaning products are used, when unknown companies are preferred, label information must be checked, it must be ensured that their production has been permitted by the relevant ministries, they must be checked from the ÜTS system, the expiration date must be checked, expired products should not be used, especially perfume products (aromatic fragrance molecules) can be allergenic, these products are allowed to be used in limited quantities, if such products and antimicrobial additives are used, it should be ensured that they are used within permitted limit values, and it should be checked whether prohibited products are listed in the label/ingredients section.”